Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is known to be controlled by T and B cell responses, but the role of natural killer T (NKT) cells is less clear. Richard Blumberg and his colleagues now show that NKT cells are activated immediately after HBV infection by presentation of an HBV-altered repertoire of lysophospholipids on infected hepatocytes and are necessary for the induction of optimal T and B cell responses and rapid viral control.
- Sebastian Zeissig
- Kazumoto Murata
- Richard S Blumberg
